Hitting Left

Don Rose has been a political organizer, publicist and strategist for 60 years. Henry Wallace, Martin Luther King, Jane Byrne, Harold Washington, the protests against the wars in Iraq. Don has seen it all.

This podcast brother Mike is taking some time off. Newly elected, former teacher and CTU leader, County Commissioner Brandon Johnson. Lori Lightfoot is running for Mayor of Chicago. Niketa Brar, coming off a great win to save the National Teachers Academy is now working on the Vote Equity Project

Lawyers Brendan Shiller and Aaron Goldstein were organizers of the first electoral defeat of a sitting Cook County judge in nearly 30 years. Judge Coghlan was heard cases involving Jon Burge and Reynaldo Guevara, dirty cops and torturers and was most blatant in bias towards the police. The conversation moves to the Chicago Democratic Party and the changing demographics of the city is forcing progressive change.

The union of part-time faculty at Chicago's Columbia College have been bargaining with their administration for over a year. It is a story of the corporatization of what once was a unique gem of a learning community. What is happening there has implications for organizing adjuncts nationally and for the transformation of work to a gig economy.

We are talking neighborhood disinvestment and neighborhood gentrification. Two sides of the same coin. Christian Diaz is housing organizer with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association. Cory Stevenson is a designer and community activist around equity and the built environment at Open Architecture Chicago.

Rebecca Sive is a long-time feminist and progressive activist and author of Vote Her In. Cassie Walker Burke is the Chicago bureau chief of Chalkboard Chicago. We talk about Tuesday's election, electing more women to executive positions. Executive, as in President of the United States. The election's impact on education.

There was a radio glitch in the first half hour that was heard live on the air with Chris Bearhend of the Chicago Teachers Union's charter chapter Chi-ACTS. So he is not on the podcast. But we still get to share our conversation with National Teachers Academy parents/activists Anika Matthews-Feldman and Elisabeth Greer.

Jeffreen Hayes and Regina Martinez join us to talk about a new art exhibit that documents the destruction of a westside neighborhood to build the Eisenhower Expressway in the 50s and 60s. Stevie Valles of Chicago Votes on their work in Cook County jail registering voters.

Cassie Creswell and Samay Gheewalla from Raise Your Hand Action join us to discuss recent developments in Chicago Public Schools.

Cook County Commissioner elect Brandon Johnson co-hosts with guests authors and activists Eve Ewing and Barbara Ransby.